Farewell to Arma

Bohemia Interactive has revealed a brand new title in its military shooter franchise, Arma. Now in Early Access on PC and Xbox Series X, Arma Reforger will serve as a "stepping stone" of sorts to the upcoming Arma 4, which is also currently in de??velopment at the Czech gaming stu??dio.

Arma Reforger will serve two purposes for both the developer and the Arma community. Firstly, it will provide a standalone, open-world adventure with which t?o lay both the background, mood, and gameplay of the next mainline sequel. Secondly, it will allow players, modders, and the developer itself to get to grips with the all-new Enfusion engine, which hopes to provide the series with its tightest, most immersive, and most thrilling experience to date.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIervYhiEZ8

Players will return to the mid-Atlantic island of Everon, which fans will recognize from Arma: Cold War Assault. Players can engage in epic multiplayer battles as Allied or Soviet forces, or use the Game Master mode to create their own unique scenarios, missions, and events �which can then be played out by invited parties or by your good self. Arma Reforger will offer up ?intense war-torn combat, complete with side objectives, a heavy arsenal of w??eapons and vehicles, and a variety of atmospheric battlefields.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hns-Nhm1H2I

An important part of the Arma universe, Bohemia Interactive hopes to ensure that community workshopping is better than ever before, with players creating all manner of custom content on both PC and Xbox platforms. Arma Reforger's Workshop and Workbench modes will pr?ovide players with the very tools used to make the game itself, giving fans the opportunity to get to grips with modding the series' powerful new Enfusion Engine. Of course, your content can then b?e shared with the community.

Arma Reforger looks to be a training ground of sorts for Arma 4, not just from a visual and gameplay stance but also from a technical and community-focused one. It's hardly a demo �Arma Reforger will contain enough content to be considered i?ts own game �but it will allow both Bohemia Interactive and the playerbase to get to grips with the future of this expansive and tight?ly-held franchise.

Arma Reforger is currently in Early Access on PC (via Steam) and Xbox Series X, priced at around $30.

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Announced at E3 today

Today at E3, Bohemia Interactive announced that the "Apex" DLC for Arma 3 will be released on July 11. Apex takes place in a new ??warzone, with additional vehicles, weapons, and gear. ??You can see the latest trailer below if you want to get a look at what to expect.

Fans have been waiting on this one for a while, but now it's less than a month away. I've been admittedly far removed from the Arma series for a while, but I may check out Apex if I have time.

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We Bought a Tank

Arma and DayZ developer Bohemia Interactive has bought itself a a decommissioned T-72 main battle tank. While the developer is doing incredibly well with zombie survival game DayZ, it's mostly known for its hardcore war games like Arma.

"A massive tanks goes out to everyone who has supported the studio and its ga?mes throughout the past 16 years. Your enthusiasm and support have been astonishing," Bohemia stated in a press relea?se. 

Bohemia just announced its current Arma 3 plans in a blog post.

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DayZ hit 2 million in May...

We're always talking about DayZ sales -- now over 2 million -- but the game that made DayZ possible, Arma, is quietly doing well in its own right for developer Bohemia. Arma 3 has just crossed one million sold.

Bohemia boss Marek Spanel announced the milestone on Twitter and provided a visual roadmap for the next two years of Arma 3. It includes ?a major expansion and helicopter and marksmen DLC.

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They're being sold as DLC

I have a real love-hate relationship with April Fools' Day. I love the creativity on display, but hate that most of the cool things "announced" on that day are often just videos. Sometimes, the gags are real, and the results are terrific. Bohemia Interactive made a video featuring go karts in its military first-person shooter Arma 3 and now that stuff is real, playable DLC.

Arma 3 Karts is available now on Steam for $1.99, with a portion ??of proceeds going to the Czech Red Cross. A fun add-on, to be sure, but there's plenty more serious conten??t on the way too.

Players will want to read up on Bohemia's strategy for not segmenting the multiplayer community with paid content, as detailed in this blog post. Essentially, premium DLC can be experienced even if players don't "own" it, though there will be some restrictions in place as far as single-player scenarios go, and there are notifications. It's the studio's way of continuing to support Arma 3 and treat fans well given the "realities of running a ??business and the costs of quality development."

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Curate personalized experiences for other players

Taking a cue from Dungeons & Dragons, the free Zeus DLC planned for Arma 3 in Q2 2014 will give players the opportunity to become GMs across existing game modes and a new one called Zeus Game Master. It's here that they have the real freedom to dictate objectives, spawn units, and more. And since this is Arma, the Zeus system will be open to modders.

"The best thing about Arma 3 Zeus is how naturally it fits within the game," said design lead Karel Moricky. "Dynamic combat, massive islands, and editing features -- it was ??all there. But now we've added an interf?ace which gives players full control over the multiplayer experience."

This DLC is something which sounds intriguing in the unexpected context of a game like Arma III but also slightly ??terrifying -- I'd surely stick with being a mere pawn in t??he grand scheme of things. For a certain type of player, though, the role of GM will be a blast.

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Big plans for next year

"Make Arma Not War" is the name of an upcoming Bohemia Interactive contest which should greatly help incentivize community-led content creation for Arma 3. The studio is giving out €500,000 in prize money and here's the kicker: "Projects which show a lot of potentia?l might also be offered a contract by Bohemia Interactive, whether they have won the contest or not." Potentially the start of someone's career, in other words.

The competition spans four categories -- single-player, multiplayer, add-on, and total modification -- ??with the top prize of €200,000 going to that last category. The other three will have the prize pool divided up into first (€50,000), second (€30,000), and third place (€20,000).

Interested parties can begin working on their projects, but applications for Make Arma Not War won't be accepted until next year. Submissions are due by October 28, 20?14, and the winners will be announced on January 15, 2015. This contest is exactly the type of thing I'd expect Bohemia to do -- hope it works out for them, content creators, and players.

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The mod for ARMA II is still the only way to play for now

Just last week, an entry in Steam's databases made it look like the standalone edition of Dean 'Rocket' Hall's hugely popular ARMA II mod DayZ was imminent. However, posting on reddit, Hall confirmed that there's still more work to be done on the game before ??????????????????????????it's released.

"We have now something that provides basic functionality for 1??0-20 players," he wrote. "We think we need a minimum of 15 FPS [with] 50 players, 2000 zombies, and 25000 loot items. Our latest tests have all shown some runaway system??s in the code we have to tidy up. We're optimizing this." Sounds like it's taking quite a bit of work to maintain performance given such a large playing area and the amount of objects in it.

Hall wouldn't confirm a possible release date, meaning we'll see this game on Steam when it's ready. DayZ will use Steamworks' API, which I'm pleased ?about; that should make it easier to join up with your friends and at least be p??laying on the same server.

DayZ still potentially many dayz away [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

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Free stuff is always welcome

Arma 3 came out a while ago, but without any single-player campaign. Bohemia Interactive decided to release the campaign after launch as free downloadable content. The first of the three planned campaign DLCs is out now, and it's already installed for you through the magic of Steam if you have Arma 3 installed.

The ca?mpaign story is filled with exciting military things like NATO, civil war, flashp?oints, task forces, and a soldier named Ben Kerry. Even if the campaign doesn't sound exciting to you, it adds more content to the multiplayer and mission creator tools.

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Three DLC episodes in all

Bohemia Interactive plans on releasing Arma III's campaign in three free episodic downloadable content releases. The first episode is called Survive, and will be released within a month of the main game's actual release. The following two episodes, Adapt and Win, will come out a few months later.

“This was no?t a decision we made lightly," project lead Joris-Jan van 't Land stated. "As game creators, we love developing and playing through campaigns so, to those awaiting ours, we say: sorry for the delay. After talking a lot about a focus on quality over the last year, it simply did not feel right to compromise now. Rather than pushing back the entire game, we launch this year with an awesome package – a splendid kick off for the Arma III experience.”

I feel like most fans of the Arma series are mainly interested in the multiplayer anyway. It's certainly a smarter decision doing it like this rather than pulling a Battlefield 3 with its horribly rushed campaign.

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Also next gen fish AI, beating CoD: Ghosts to the punch

Arma 3 is officially in beta, with four new showcase missions, two new multiplayer missions, and a bunch of new vehicles -- helicopters, transport trucks, minisubs -- in tow. Full beta details follow after the break. The extra realistic military shooter/simulator is available through Steam and its own store. Purchases give you ??access to the pre??sent beta as well as the eventual full release.

My favorite addition over the alpha is the nighttime solo mission that tasks you w?ith wreaking havoc and then slipping away, mostly because when I fail miserably I don't have to ?worry about the enemies seeing the look of embarrassment on my face.

I'm quite terrible at Arma 3, but I definitely appreciate the nods towards realism and higher stakes it carries. There's natural pacing in the running around and doing military things between actual engagements, chronicles by some amusingly stilted voice acting, and cowering behind a rock for ages is ?a welcomed strategy. Plus on one mission?? your squad mate keeps addressing a "Nichols," but it totally sounds like he's saying "pickles." I laughed every time. This is why I wasn't allowed in the military.

Key Features in the Arma 3 Beta

Stratis Island
Take your first steps in Arma 3 by exploring the 20 km² island of? Stratis. Navigate its rugged terrain, expansive forests and man-made airbase.

Showcases & Challenges
Enjoy a taste of Arma 3&r??squo;s diverse gameplay by completing a selection of 8 ?????????????????????????? showcase missions. Or run through the competitive firing drills to hone your shooting and movement skills.

Multiplayer Scenarios
Form a squad and team up to fight against your enemy in 4 co-operativ?e multiplayer scenarios.

Vehicles & Weapons
Master air, land, and sea with the 8 vehicl?es featured in the Beta; choose your gear, pick from a collection of weapons, customize your loadout.

Content Creation
Start creating your own experiences with the powerful scenario editor;? create mods for others to play; and join our creative co??mmunity.

Revamped Engine
? Navigate the battlefield with fluid new animations; feel the devastat?ing power of combat with the upgraded sound engine, new ragdoll simulation and PhysX™-supported vehicles.

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We could always use more of those

Bohemia Interactive, the developer behind the Arma series and the popular DayZ mod, have announced that they are working on a Mars Rover sim called Take On Mars. Players will be able drive aroun??d the surface of the red planet ??exploring and doing scientific missions.

The terrain will all be based on satellite images of Mars and built using the same Engine as Arma, so it's going to be crazy detailed. It will also have a destruction system so your Rover will break over time if you drive like an insane person. It will have full mod support, just like Arma, and players will be able to create and share their own missions. Ideally someone will cross this with DayZ and we'll get to fight zombies on? Mars. 

Bohemia Intera??ctive goes where few sims have gone before with?? Take On Mars [PC Gamer]

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Check out the realistic first-person shooter from Bohemia Interactive

Bohemia Interactive, the development studio behind Arma III and DayZ, will be hosting a couple of livestreams to showcase Arma III before E3 2013. Both?? sessions will be taking place at 12PM? Eastern on June 1 and June 8.

On June 1, mission designer Thomas Ryan and others from the team will give a basic tutorial in scenario editin?g. On June 8, we'll get to see a playthrough of the brand new Combined Arms showcase mission.

Each stream will last around an hour, and fans will be able to ask the team questions via the Twitch chat room or throug??h Twitter.

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Fan created, developer approved

Hey look at that. Developer Bohemia Interactive worked with a fan to produce some player guides. It's like Bohemia actually cares about their players! Seriously, it's awesom?e to see a studio work so closely with their fans in order to allow everyone to have a fun experience. 

In this particular guide we get some tips on how to be a good team player. Essentially, it?? breaks down to actually communicating with your allies. You can't just go around being a lone wolf, you need to work together here.

For more on Arma 3 check out our impressions of the on-going Alpha.

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A multitude of features in the works

Dean "Rocket" Hall and the rest of the folks at Bohemia Interactive have been pretty busy working on the standalone version of DayZ and this new developer video helps shed some light on what they have been polishing. Improvements to player health, inventory, and zombie pathfinding have been made, as well as implementing zombie spwaning from the server-side. A full breakdown of the features discussed in the video ca??n be found on the developer's blog.

It has been said before but, it is still really impressive to see a mod take off with such force on the power of its community. It is also good to see that other developers who are trying to hop on the zombie-survivalist bandwagon, looking to just make a quick buck, get knocked down quickly due to their own greed blinding them to their larger issues. The DayZ standa?lone should be releasing sometime this April 2013, pending any sort of global infectious catastrophe.

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